Should I buy a local SIM at the airport instead of a travel eSIM?

A local SIM gives you a mainland +86 number, which a travel eSIM cannot. A few services still send verification codes only to Chinese numbers, though many now accept foreign numbers and passports. This changes quickly, so check the apps you plan to use. If none needs a Chinese number, a travel eSIM installed at home is simpler: no registration, ready when you land and usually unfiltered.

A mainland SIM uses a mainland connection: Google, Gmail, Maps, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked without a VPN. Install the VPN before arrival, as many VPN websites and app-store pages are unreachable inside China. No VPN is guaranteed to work. Real-name registration is required by MIIT Decree No. 25, 2013. Take your original passport in person to a carrier-owned store that serves foreigners; staff check it, and nobody can register for you. Travellers report face checks too, but these depend on the carrier's process and are not in the decree.

Beijing's city government lists China Unicom and China Mobile counters at Capital and Daxing airports, with opening hours, plus downtown stores. Shenzhen has official guidance too: its culture and tourism bureau says overseas visitor service centres at Bao'an Airport T3 (east of the international arrivals exit, open 24/7) and Shenzhen Bay Port (port hours) sell SIM cards. The centres opened 25 January 2025. Traveller guides mention counters at Shanghai Pudong/Hongqiao and Guangzhou Baiyun, but we found no official list of locations, hours or English service. Travellers repeatedly complain about Pudong counters being closed late at night. Trip.com's April 2026 China Unicom example was about ¥200 for 20 GB and 30 minutes over 30 days at the airport. That is one example, not a price list; downtown stores may offer more data for the same money. Ask for national rather than province-only data.

A mainland eSIM is not a realistic option for a short visit: carriers issue eSIMs only to specific mainland-model phones after an in-store ID check, and we found no carrier-published short-stay tourist eSIM plan.

The hybrid many travellers use: travel eSIM for data, local SIM in the second slot with data switched off, purely to receive +86 SMS codes.

The prices above come from press and provider guides. We could not find an English tourist-plan page from China Unicom or China Mobile. Check the price list at the counter.